It sounds too healthy to be delicious, but I guarantee you, you will love this recipe – it’s my new obsession. It has it all – a wonderful combo of flavors & textures and maximum health benefits.
It’s also incredibly versatile…it’s a great vegetarian (or vegan) main course (i topped it with a poached egg for dinner and it was delish!) or a beautiful side dish that pairs really nicely with roast chicken. I also made an egg-white scramble with of the leftovers for breakfast…amaze balls.
In this photo, I used a medley of red, white & black quinoa that I had picked up at the market, but plain quinoa works juuust fine.
Serves 6
as a main course, 8 as a side dish.
3 medium sweet potatoes/orange-fleshed yams, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 T. olive oil – divided
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1 c. dry quinoa
4 c. roughly chopped kale, tough stems removed
1 T. butter
1/4 c. water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss diced sweet potatoes with 2 T. olive oil and season with kosher salt & pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast about 45-55 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes and again after 30 minutes. Remove when potatoes are slightly caramelized.
About 20 minutes before your potatoes are done roasting, rinse quinoa & cook according to the instructions on the package. Once cooked, fluff with a fork. You will end up with about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
In a large skillet with lid or large pot, heat remaining 1 T. of olive oil & 1 T. butter over medium high heat. Add chopped kale and saute about 2 minutes, until bright green. Add 1/4 c. water, cover & lower heat to medium low. Braise for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and cook a couple minutes more until water is evaporated.
Add roasted sweet potatoes & quinoa to kale and stir to combine. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Dining and Cooking